A sideshow of sorts...

My 1970 Datsun 240Z is a classic. My example carries VIN HLS30-00303, the 303rd chassis built, finished sometime in November of 1969. It was among the very first two or three shipments of the now-famous Z car to the United States.
My example was uncovered by my good friend, Emohn, several years ago. We went in on the car together with bright hopes of turning it into a GRM $2003 challenge car. As we learned more of the history, and wrestled with some of the problems of it having sat for seven years, that hope was extinguised. I eventually bought out Emohn's half, and now this car is my full-time autocross car.

I've put most of my time and money into the engine and the suspension, to great benefit. The car is a rocket, handles well, and is an absolute blast to drive. While I can't compete for first in my class, I'm never last. In SM2, that's an accomplishment by itself considering the age.
However, all is not rosey. The wiring is original, and it sucks. I had two electrical fires inside the dash last season. Both times, I band-aided it, but no longer. I was finally forced to deal with the problem when the alternator could no longer keep the battery charged. The alternator is brand new, the voltage regulator is brand new. Something in the harness is drawing so much power, the puny 50 amp alternator simply can't keep up.

The first picture is the dash. Looks nice from here.

The second is after removing the heater controls and the dashplate against the window.

The third is the dash out of the car. In the center is the heater box. That's coming out next. The core is clogged, and the thirty year old hoses that feed it are cracked and leaking. Once I got the dash out, I spent an hour and a half wrestling the engine-side harness through the firewall and out of the engine bay. It sucked.

The plan now, after getting the heater core spiffed up, is to mock in the new fuse panel, and get a GM 90 amp alternator mounted. I'm going to keep the interior harness that feeds the dome and rear lights. Being inside the car, it's not in very bad shape. The engine side will be completely replaced with new wire all the way out to the front turn signals and headlights. The dash will also be getting new(er) Autometer gauges. I have a 5" tachometer, oil pressure, volt, and water temperature gauges to replace the intermittently working stockers.

It will be a very busy weekend. I have to have this thing back together and running by 8am on March 25.

Oh, and Louisville beat the snot out of Stanford today. Go Cards!